A couple of months ago, TMA had the unique opportunity to post early specs and spy shots of Audio Line Out’s new amplifier, the ALO Rx. Well, the amp is out now, and available for purchase at 345$. As illustrated in the photos below, it is a slim thing of beauty. But, adding to the fire are some preliminary reports that this amp does indeed sound good. It comes in a variety of colours and sports sophisticated circuitry, some of which hasn’t been seen before in a production headphone amp. TMA’s review of the ALO is done.

Since Sony’s re-imagining of the portable cassette player, portable audio has seen a huge upswing in popularity; a popularity which has among other things, created a new monster: the portable audiophile. This new breed of hi-end user demands the best sound quality for on-the-go listening, a problem which is only mostly satiated by purchasing a good headphone like Earsonics’ SM2. A higher quality headphone is the most immediate upgrade a portable audiophile can experience, but often, is the gateway drug to real audio debauchery.

Audio Line Out (ALO), based in Oregon, USA, are masters of audio art. Their cables and line-out docks are among the best-built in the industry. Ken, ALO’s head, is always busy with some new project and this time, he is targeting the budding iPhone audiophile market with a top-secret new headphone amplifier – an amp whose spy-shots fell into my hands and whose final product will come to TMA for review! Following the break are a few details about the project.